NARS Orgasm Collection

Anyone who loves NARS will no doubt be aware of the cult classic that is the NARS Orgasm collection. Within the Orgasm range is a blush, The Multiple, illuminator, lip gloss and nail varnish.


I already own the Orgasm blush in the trio palette NARS brought out last summer. I don't think it is quite as shimmery as the single version but still is as gorgeous!

Orgasm Blush, Albatross Highlighter, Laguna Bronzer

I had kind of forgotten about it in the last few months after favouring NARS Cactus Flower and my new love Illamasqua Zygomatic! 


I had forgotten until I saw this picture on their Facebook page, I don't know why I just fell in love with the look!

On the Facebook page they have listed the products and how to apply them to recreate it, click here to take a look.


I would have loved to have rushed out and brought all of them but I resisted. Instead as I already own the blush I treated myself to the lip gloss.

It is similar to the blush with a golden/pink shimmer colour. I have olive skin so on my lips it looks more sheer then maybe it would with a lighter skin tone. It is great to put over a neutral matt lip base if you want to go from day to night.

I did consider Super Orgasm but for me it was to shimmery and the 'glitter' particles were to noticeable.


Inspired by the NARS image I decided to create my own Orgasm look.


Face
I used NARS Laguna lightly over the face as I have tan so don't need foundation.
Placed NARS Orgasm over the cheek bones and then dusted lightly around the hairline, nose and lips.
Finished with NARS Albatross to highlight cheeks, nose and cupids bow.


Eyes
As a base I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Built up 3 or 4 layers of NARS Orgasm Blush over the top, blending out over the crease
Smudged MAC Smoulder Kohl Pencil in black and then dusted a light coat of NARS Orgasm Blush over the top.
Finished with Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara in Black


Lips
Line lips with GOSH Nougat Crisp and blend into to lips.
Coat lips with NARS Orgasm Lip Gloss


Overall the collection is great to add a glow for Summer!


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Nars Spring Summer Collection

I splashed out in Space NK on some goodies from the Nars Spring Summer 12 Collection!
 I had been looking at it for a few weeks as I have to pass the store everyday to get to work. However I was persuaded after watching Tanya Burr and FleurDeForce video on Spring Products.

I treated myself to:

Douche France Trio Eyeshadow, £33

Nars Douche France Eyeshadow Palette 

This palette has a light pink/almost white, a baby pink and a maroon colour in it. All 3 are matt and look great for a natural eye this summer. I have been using it almost everyday since I brought it, mixing it with my Naked Palette. The only negative I have is the pigment isn't as good as I had hoped, I have to build it up quite a bit to get the colour to real show.

I am so sorry this pic look really weird!!

Cactus Flower Cream Blush, £21

Ignore the silver flecks they fell off a brush I had near by :(

I LOVE this!!!!!!!! The colour looks really scary in the pan but on it looks amazing! You can use it lightly to give pinky/red glow to the cheek or use build up for a more dramatic effect.What doesn't show from the swatch and the pic is it has a shimmer to it which I like but others may not. Lastly it blends really well so if you do go bait OTT it is easy to fix. This is my new 'LOVE' item, this really has not left my cheeks, also it looks great as lip stain if you just want a little colour but without using any product.

Mexican Rose (left), Cactus Flower (right)

Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, £17.50

Nars Mexican Rose

Ok I am going to be honest, I love the idea of this and I have worn it and got lots of comments about how great it looks but it scares me!! I think it is because I am used to nudes on my lips so anything bright I worry looks bait clown like but I am getting used to it. It looks more red in the flesh but it is a bright pink with a red undertone. I didn't think you really could get a gloss effect from a pencil but it it gives great gloss effect. The massive plus is the colour lasts!!! This is the first lip product where I have to physically wash my lips to get the colour off!

Pucker Up!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Glossy box - September

I have just picked up my GlossyBox from the sorting office and found another box of treats.

This month I was treated to:

Green People - Day Solution Hydrating Balancing Day Cream
Moa - The Green Balm
Mary Greenwell - Plum Eau de Parfum
Rahua - Shampoo & Conditioner
HD Brows - Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp


My Thoughts


I love the HD Brows palette, I don't fill my brows but as a smokey eye palette I can see this being used a lot. All the colours are matt and have a good pigment.

The Plum Eau de Parfum does smell plumy as you would hope but isn't my kind of scent. It kind of reminds me of the smell you get in La Senza from those bead things!
The rest I am not sure about yet as haven't tried them.


Overall I did like this months box but I wish GlossyBox would give everyone the same. As most bloggers post each months box I always end up feeling a little disappointed that someone got one thing and I got another. This month for example I got mainly what I would call sample sized products except for the palette. Looking at other people's boxes some got mainly gull sized or bigger products. Yes mine still may be luxury but I feel they got more for their money.


Having said that I do still like my monthly delivery from GlossyBox but I am waiting for my Boudoir Prive box before I decide which to keep next month.


Stay beautiful


Jane xx

Guest Blog: Bloggers Must Have from Nanna Kate

First to take part in my 'Bloggers Must Have' series is Katy from Nanna Kate

1. Name 

Katy - not short for Kathryn or anything else, just Katy...

 

2. Tell us a little about yourself and your blog

I'm a Pisces and a left-hander so I am a dreamer, creative and sometimes rather impractical... however - through some crazy twists of fate I ended up working as a Credit Risk Analyst for the Finance Department of a major Telecoms provider in the UK; crazy because I don't even know my times table! But for as long as I can remember I've crafted. One of my best friends and I made an entire miniature village out of clay as kids, it even had it's own ambulance! I've always had some little craft project on the go to indulge my creative side, at one point I even set up a business making Wedding stationary. But work and 'life' always get in the way and there aren't enough hours in the day to work full time, follow a career development plan, have a social life, bake, go to my WI meetings AND regularly craft!

 

I decided to set up my blog as a way to escape the rigidity of my job. Initially, I intended to write about baking and craft, my two major passions - but I ended up writing about all kinds of things including beauty - did I mention I'm a product junkie? I have included links to my beauty reviews (via www.dooyoo.co.uk) on my blog, little snippets about my addiction to monthly boxes and plan lots of cool beauty stuff in future, including 'The secret skincare diary of Nanna Kate, aged 27 and a half'... which is going to chronicle my sudden battle with skin perfection and the products / treatments I'm trying to combat the outbreaks I've never experienced before!

 

3. What is your must have product?

 

£17.95, www.sheercover.co.uk

My must have product is without a doubt Sheer Cover Lip-to-Lid Highlighter.

 

4. How did you discover it?

 

I used to work in a Call Centre as a Team Leader handling calls from people wishing to buy Guthy Renker products (including the Sheer Cover brand). One of the perks of the job (in my eyes!) was that we got to try samples of the range so that we could sell products based on our user experience; we also got 50% discount on the full sized products. After leaving the company I went on to use everything up that I'd bought discounted; and couldn't resist buying the products direct at the full price - they were so amazing. 

 

5. Why can't you live without it? 

The Lip-to-Lid Highlighter is not only ridiculously versatile, amazing value for money and comes in three perfect shades to suit anyone and everyone - it's also GOOD for your skin because it's a mineral make up. It's the absolute definitive finish for day or night make up. My review of it can be read here http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/makeup/sheer-cover-lip-to-lid-highlighter/1534721/ and that's going to give you more justification (if you need it) as to why I can't live without this product!

 

6. Anything else you would like to add?

I called my blog Nanna Kate because my Sister absolutely tortures me about my 'Nanna' fashion sense. I wear vintage, floral, handmade, etc and she thinks it's hilarious. My Dad tells me I am old before my time joining the WI and putting a sewing machine at the top of my Christmas list. My Mam's a bit kinder - but that's her job after all. I originally intended to keep the blog 'anonymous' and thought this would be an ace pseudonym (Kate, short for Katy and also my real Nanna's nickname as she was Kathleen), but I kind of lost the anonymity when I told my Sister all about it (damn that sisterly bond!).

Thank you Katy for sharing your Must Have! If you would like to share your must have and do a guest post for me comment below, tweet me or email me.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boudoir Prive - The Launch Box

A few days ago I received my first Boudoir Prive box. I like many others was very excited to see what they would offer, especially after a big twitter campaign to get people signed up just when everyone was a little disappointed with Glossy Box.


Boudoir Prive had promised 5 or 6 products for £10 that would be deluxe samples of luxury products. The products will cover Skin Care, Body Care, Hair Care, Makeup, Lifestyle and Fragrance. Some brands may be know, others maybe new.


So the little pink box arrived with a little hand written note and a pink box wrapping up the treats.

Inside the box was a little note explaining all the products.

I received:

2x sachets of Bloom Tea
2 x perfume samples from Etat Libre D'Orange
Sample pot of Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream
100ml bottle of Sachajuan Hair Repair
Sample tube of Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner
Bottle of Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter




So the important bit, what did I think? 
Well to be honest I was a little disappointed. I like the concept obviously, I also like the idea of being introduced to new products (Babor was the only brand I knew) but I was a little disappointed on the product sizes. The Babor and Sachajuan samples were good sizes but the others were tiny. I know they are expensive and I'm sure they warrant the £10 but I was disappointed. 
I hate to be negative and actually after reflecting on it after a couple of days I think Boudoir Prive could be a real compliment to Glossy Box. If they can continue to provide lesser known luxury brands in decent sized samples it would sit nicely with Glossy Box providing samples of well known brands.


Let me know your thoughts,


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx


P.S If you would like to see what Glossy Box has to offer see my post on last months box here.


P.P.S I would just like to add if you haven't checked out Boudoir Prive on Twitter or Facebook then do, the one big plus is their customer service and joining in with the beauty community.
The blog is good too!

Umberto Giannini Painted Lady Palette and Gift Sets

Today I am off to the hairdressers, which I am very excited about as my roots need doing badly!! As some of you may know my hairdressers is Umberto Giannini and I have been going there for over 5 years. During this time I have watched their haircare range grow and develop and produce really good haircare products. Therefore I was really excited to find out they were launching a makeup range in September.

Umberto Giannini have collaborated with BAFTA award wining make up artist Paul Gooch to create a goregous Painted Lady range. 

I was very lucky to be able to try the Painted Lady palette and the duo shadow that will come with some of the gift sets.

The palette has 8 eye shadows and 4 lip colours, they are all dark tones so perfect for Autumn/Winter and a great price of £10.

As you will see the eyeshadow don't have the strongest pigments but still work nicely and I really like the lip creams they have a much better pigment and are really wearable colours.

The shadow duo available with some of the gifs sets and are great for a dark smokey eye in Winter.

The gift sets look like great gifts for Christmas ( I know it's early I'm sorry!!), I am really excited to try the false lashes and nail wraps!

The palette and gift sets will be available from Boots in September, they are defiantly going to be on my Christmas list!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

July's Glossy Box

Today I came home to my first Glossy Box.  I had been a little unsure about keeping my subscription after the dissapointing box last month and the sneaky increase in price from next month (£10 to £12.95). I thought I would wait and recieve my first box and then decide. 


As I had been away I had been reading other people's blogs on the contents and checking the Glossy Box website. I was excited to see there was an Illamasqua product, a fragrance and some lashes so was excited to open my box today!


The box was beautifully packaged as you can see from the pictures

I love the little touch of the ribbon and paper hiding the contents, its like opening a little box of surprises!


The Contents

I was excited to see I had an Illamasqua Pure Pigment. It is my first product from them so am eager to try it!


The Ciate Nail Varnish was a nice surprise too. I had seen this mentioned on other blogs but never seemed to find it on my travels.


Weleda I have never heard of but that is the great thing about these subscriptions you get to try things you never would have before. It was the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil and smells lush. I am going to review this soon as I am going to try this after my shower tonight.


LP Skin Therapy Lip Rescue Gel again I had not herd of. Apparently it is the part of the skincare range from Dr Linda Papadopoulos (the psychologist from Big Brother!!). I tried this today and actually quite liked it. My lips had been really dry and chapped all week and after using it stay moisturised for well over 4 hours and aren't chapped anymore. Surprisingly impressed!


Lastly I had the Ultra Sun Face 30. This is what let my Glossy Box down! Firstly considering there was the option for 2 types of false lashes or 3 types of fragrance I thought my box would be likely to have one of these which I would have been really happy with. Instead the Face 30 is really just a Suncream. Not very special or luxurious but of course that is my opinion.  I guess seeing the other options which included a bottle of Xen Tan  this was disappointing. Maybe I am being harsh but I guess when everyone gets different products and the others would have been more appealing it makes it a little disappointing.


Overall I am happy with my little box of treats so will keep my subscription for a while, but with my first Boudoir Prive box arriving next month it will be interesting to compare them.


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Comparing My Mascaras

While I was writing my last post on the new Boots 17 Faslifeye Mascara I tried out the 4 mascaras I have to see the difference (if any!).


Now I know each mascara should have different formulas, brushes and resualts but the 4 I have are claiming to do roughly the same. 

 'Dramatic 'fake lash' effect and volume'

The pictures below show the effect each had on my lashes from one coat and the difference in the brushes.

Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash (8ml, £4.99)

Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation (9ml, £4.99)

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Ultra Black (11ml, £7.99)

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara (9ml, £6.49)

Before this post my favourites are the Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation and Bourjois Volume Clubbing, seeing the pictures all together I think that is still true. There isn't really much of a difference between them, let me know what you think!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara & Gel Eyeliner

Last week saw the launch of the new mascara from Boots. 17 Falsifeye Mascara claims to give your lashes the 'wow' look of false eye lashes.
I was in need of a little retail pick me up which is difficult where I work as there aren't many shops! As I wondered round the little Boots I saw this and decided to give it a go (plus it looks pretty and pink!). As a launch offer it is currently £6.49 and comes with a free Falsifeye Gel Eyeliner.

The packaging is pretty and pink which always attracts me, the only thing I don't like is that as the tube is chunky it makes it the wand a little harder to use as you can't get as close to the lashes. 
The last thing I really hate, but I guess it is the con of having pink packaging, is you can see inside the tube. This may sound silly but mentally being able to see inside the tube kind of makes me feel a little short changed i.e there isn't alot of product in there. Infact, I did check and there is 9ml which is about the average for drugstore brands.


I like the mascara, it does lengthen and define the lashes but I don't think it gives as good result as Collection 2000 Big Fake Lashes (£4.99) or Bourjois Volume Clubbing (£7.99, see my review of this mascara here). It has a very similar result to the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara (around £4.99).
To see the difference between all 4 mascaras see my Mascara Comparison post. 

Overall it is a good mascara but I think I would pay less for the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara for the same effect or a little more on the Bourjois Volume Clubbing for a more dramatic effect.

I hate to be negative about a product but the gel eyeliner is a bit disappointing. The brush that came with it actually was very good, it was easy to create a clear straight line, however, the product let it down. The colour, as you will see from the swatch didn't stand out on my skin tone and as you will see from the swatch underneath, after 30 minutes smudged really easily and faded.

It was free so I guess I shouldn't moan to much!

Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Travel Makeup Essentials

You've seen what I packed as my beauty essentials and today it is my makeup essectials.


As I mentioned in my last post, work stuff filled alot of my suitcase space so I really had to take the bare minimum! (Now i look at this photo it doesn't look very bare minimum but it is I promise!)

First of all my pride and joy is my Paul Smith makeup bag. I have had this for years, I brought it when I sold Paul Smith in a previous job. I actually think this was a pencil case that I used for makeup! (If I am being honest I was/still am a little obsessed with the Paul Smith stripe and it matched my handbag, shoes, belt x 2 and underwear x2!). It's great for makeup as it is neoprene so stretches when you overfill it or have awkward shaped items.


Alot of my products I have talked about before so will be brief!


Skin
As it is Summer and I have a bit of a tan i have switched to my fav Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser in Almond. I love this as I can keep a light coverage for day but build it up for an evening if I need to.
To go with it I have the Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfecter ( my bed is very uncomfortable so sleep is not easy, my under eyes are looking very dark!) and Laura Mercier Undercover Pot. This is great for travelling, it has the under eye concealer, secret camouflage and setting powder all in one little pot!


I watched GossMakeupArtist video on flawless skin before I left for my week away and have been trying it out this week. His tip about putting extra setting powder on and then buffing off is great! I had always been scared to overload but it works! My makeup looks so much better! I have been using a spare little sponge I had lying around to pat it on and then using my Boots No7 Powder Brush (see my post here for more info on the powder brush) to buff it off.

My highlighter is by Givenchy, it is the Mister Light Correcting Pen. I have had it for a few years and really it needs replacing but I keep spending my monies on other things! It isn't the greatest as it dries very quickly on my skin so I find it hard to blend in without looking cakey and I don't find it very highlighting on my skin. As I am typing I am wondering why I keep using it?!


Eyes
As I mentioned my makeup space is limited so my makeup has followed. Actually at the moment I am really loving the minimal look for my eyes so all I have been wearing is Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin with Sand Stalkers on top and Moors Treasure on the crease from the Sleek Makeup Monaco Palette.
To finish the look I have been using GOSH brown or black Kohl eyeliner pencils with Collection 2000 XXL Mascara in black.


Tip: GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner pencils are my life saver! They are soft enough you can blend them and they are waterproof! If you have limited space I always take my brown eyeliner as I use it as eyeshadow or a base for shadow. They are also great for holidays as they give you a little bit of colour when you are by the pool and you know you won't look like a panda at the end!


Tip: Sleek Makeup Palettes are great for travelling as you can carry a selection of colours in one container. I am loving my new Monoco palette (see my post here on the new Mediterranean collection) as it has some matt colours for day and then I can update my eyes with some shimmer for evenings out.


Cheeks
If I had not been in a rush packing then usually I take my small Z Palette with my depotted Mememe blushes in, however, I was in a rush this time so took the 2 Sleek Makeup blushes that were already in my bag. You can see which ones they are and how I wear them in my Sleek Mediterranean post.


For a highlighter I have started using my Barry M Dazzle Dust (the code is rubbed off but I think it is Silver Irridescent). I dip my blush brush into the lid and sweep over the cheek bone. It is great as it is so small you can fit it anywhere. Plus if you are heading for a night out you can give your eyes a little sparkle too!


Lips
My lips are very simple at the moment as I am in love with two products Barry M Toffee Lipgloss and GOSH Velvet Touch Lip Liner. The gloss gives me a natural gloss look, plus keeps my lips feeling moist for ages! The GOSH liners again like the eye liner are great for blending. I pick shades that blend well into my lip so it gives a natural defination to them. They last for ages and cope with drinking and eating. At the end of the day or night whem everything has started to fade my liner is still there!


I hope this helps anyone packing for their travels, sorry lack of photos my time is limited while I am away!


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx